In a knowledge-based economy, a postsecondary credential is vital for gainful employment and upward socioeconomic mobility. Unfortunately, the path a student takes from high school graduation to college course work is too often characterized by a troubling detour, namely, "remediation." According to Complete College America (2012), over half of first-year students attending community college require at least one remedial course in English or mathematics. The challenge for students is one of academic catch up, which translates into extra time and money spent. Just 62 percent of students in remedial courses reach college readiness. In short, the costly path through remediation often means never reaching the intended destination: a postsecondary credential. The problem of remediation is often one of misalignment between high school and college curricula. How can realignment occur in order to map a new, continuous path from high school through college? In 2013, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) launched the STEM College and Career Readiness (STEM CCR) project as an academic intervention in high school mathematics as a preemptive effort to help students avoid math remediation once they enter college, and prepares students for careers in STEM and career-technical education. STEM CCR provides funding for seven community colleges in urban and rural Illinois to collaborate with local high schools to prepare students for college-level math before they graduate high school. This brief highlights the College and Career Readiness Model developed by the Office of Community College Research and Leadership, and discusses opportunities for growth for STEM CCR interventions at the seven Illinois community colleges and their high school partners that receive STEM CCR funding.